I like to think that the huge amount of time it took me to get though the relatively small Jack Glass was not the fault of the book itself. Indeed it was a lot of fun - it gripped, engaged and entertained throughout its heavily explicit three act structure (each of which had their own three act structure!). It was also very clever - in a way to be appreciate rather than offended by. By most measures this was a great book.
And yet I'm left wondering if it was. I think my main struggle is that of my primary hook with books: characterisation. Any character development comes as a result of the (quite good) story and world building rather than to nurture personalities in their own right.
I could also claim that the book labours a little - which would be a convenient enough explanation of why it took me so long to read it - but again I can't see where those hidden labours were.
Kudos to the author for making it standalone (well, so far). The world doesn't suffer for it - it has plenty of exposition and a handy glossary at the back to help out with some of the more unique concepts in this particular solar system.
If my only complaint is that Jack Glass was too long then I think that makes it a success. Recommended.
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